"What color is your bracelet?"
by Mark W. Johnson
Apparently we now have more bracelet's to see on people's wrists to wonder about.
I wear one. It's yellow, and it says in caps, "LIVESTRONG" on it, a gift from my father. Mine
came from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fund cancer research. I wear it because it helps to raise money to find a cure
for cancer. I also wear it in support and memory of the people in my life that are currently living with cancer and to the
many that I have lost to this cruel disease.
But now we have red and blue bracelet's. You know, the "red state" and "blue state" thing from
the past presidential election. Thanks to a few bored housewives from different parts of the country you may order this new
"fashion statement?" from sites like, (countmered.com) and (countmeblue.com) or (ididnotvoet4bush.com)...geez let it go. The
money, they claim that is being raised will go to charity. At least that is commendable.
It just plain and simply gets back to the idea that just because you can do something doesn't
mean you should. Do we really need to be more polarized? Do we really need more division in the country? It's always about
the extremes, right and left, liberal and conservative. Can we mix some red and blue together and have a green bracelet for
those folks who are in the middle somewhere? Do we really need to wear our political leanings like a banner to show the world?
I understand the freedoms that people have fought and died for in this country allow us to wear
something like this, but really what is the point? Is it just to point out and support the current "culture war" that we are
hosting? The reds vs. the blues, the good guys vs. the bad guys, the believers vs. the non-believers.
There really is room for all of us in this country. That is one of the principles it was founded
on.
I'm going to continue to wear by yellow bracelet. I know it accomplishes something that is good
and moral. And it supports those among us who are ill.
Promoting and "pointing out" division is not moral. Maybe those housewives should
have thought about a bracelet that was "red, white and blue." You know, the colors of our flag.
